CU Buffs speak glowingly of late wide receiver Charles Johnson

One of the best receivers to ever play at the University of Colorado passed away earlier this week at age 50. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

Charles E. Johnson, a three-time letterman, caught 127 passes for 2,447 yards and 15 touchdowns in 35 regular season games, accounting for 3,007 all-purpose yards overall. He was voted the team’s most valuable player as a senior in 1993 when he earned second-team All-American honors and was the Big Eight’s Offensive Player of the year.

Johnson’s position coach for his prolific upperclassmen years was current Buffaloes Head Coach Karl Dorrell.

“I was shocked and very distraught hearing the news about C.J.,” Dorrell said in a press release from the CU Buffs Atheltic Department. “He was a great person, teammate and had an infectious personality. He wore the pride and tradition of the Buffaloes on his sleeve. He was one of the best competitors I’ve ever coached at the wide receiver position. Rest in peace, C.J.”

Johnson’s career numbers still rank well in Buffs history, sixth in receiving yards (2,447), 13th in receptions (127) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (15).

At the time, Johnson set over a dozen records for the black and gold. He was also involved in what was the national play of the year for 1993. CU’s SID details his play on Oct. 16.

In CU’s 27-10 win at Oklahoma, he caught a 34-yard pass for a touchdown from Lamont Warren on a halfback option play. But what made it special? Warren slipped on the slick artificial surface as he threw the ball, and some 40 yards later in the end zone, Johnson made the catch on the ground after he was interfered with. The play simply defied imagination.

In 1992, Johnson and Westbrook became just the fourth set of teammates in college football history at the time to record 1,000-yard seasons.

“C.J. was an amazing athlete and an equally amazing friend in college,” Westbrook said in a press release. “He always used to light the field up with his smile and his ability to catch the ball was second to nobody. His highlight reel is legendary, just like our college shenanigans. It’s rough – he’s gone way too soon.”

Johnson was taken in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 17th overall pick played five seasons with the club, with 247 receptions for 3,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. His best year there was in 1996, when he was reunited with Kordell Stewart, his CU teammate for three seasons, and caught 60 balls for a career-high 1,008 yards and three scores.

“Words simply can’t explain or identify who C.J. was to many,” Stewart said in the press release. “I’m not sure how to process this properly – we’ve been friends for over 30 years – but just know C.J. will be missed. My heart goes out to Tanisha (his wife), their kids and family. May God bless them and keep them during these trying times.”

Another teammate at CU and in Pittsburgh was 104.3 the Fan’s Chad Brown.

“C.J. was a guy who never had a bad day,” he said. “I think, obviously, when people pass, we always tend to over-eulogize. But C.J. was always a happy dude with an infectious smile, quick to laugh, just a fun guy to be around. He was always a quieter guy, kind of a homebody. Very into his wife, his family, not on the autograph circuit or the group texts.”

Johnson played nine seasons in the NFL, moving on to Philadelphia (1999-2000), New England (2001) and Buffalo (2002). He won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots when they defeated St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI and had career totals of 354 receptions for 4,606 yards and 24 touchdowns in 133 professional games.

According to CU, he is survived by his wife, the former Tanisha Johns, who was a tracletter winnerer at CU, son Charles III, who played football at Western Carolina and daughter Cydney, currently a junior on the High Point (N.C.) University women’s basketball team. Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending.

More quotes

“Charles was a hard-working teammate who did not take any opportunity for granted. He was a great friend that always had a smile on his face, and if you were down, he would find a way to lift your spirits. Due to the adversity he faced and overcame early in life, Charles became a moral compass for many of his peers because he always did things the right way. He was a very beautiful soul, and he will be missed.” – Eric Bieniemy

“C.J. was a great teammate, a great person, a guy who never had a bad day. He always had a million-dollar smile on his face and a kind word for everybody. If you were having bad day, he could sense it, seek you out and figure out a way to make you feel better in that moment, be it with a joke, something comical or just words of encouragement. That’s a quality few people have – he not only had God-given talent on the football field but also had it in dealing with people.” – Darian Hagan

“It’s unfortunate that he died so young. I wish I could reach out to him and hug him one last time and let him know that I love him. He’s a guy who will forever be near and dear to my heart. I know the struggles and ups and downs he had growing up; we had similar experiences. I never had a bad moment around him — and I think every teammate he ever had feels the same way. A great person to be around, just infectious. He will be missed by all those he left an indelible impression on.” Hagan

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